LEONARD JOHN BATES
The impression gained from Leonard’s photograph is of a strong, confident and mature young man and it is certainly supported by his life story: Leonard was well-educated and well-travelled; he was also something of a pioneer, having become involved in the development of a military innovation which subsequently changed the world – the tank. His end was tragic and inglorious – he was crushed between two wagons in a siding at the Remount Depot at Ballsbridge in Dublin and died six hours later in the city hospital. He must either have been taking his tank to the city as a show of strength to Irish Nationalists or on a money-raising mission for the government.
An Imperishable Record 